Striking a balance between the chef’s ideas and customers’ preferences.
Stinky tofu is probably the only thing which chef-restaurateur Fred Choong eschews. Otherwise, he is game to try any new food to satisfy his innate curiosity, and gain new ideas and culinary inspiration for his Nimbus restaurant in Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya in Selangor.
Choong, 31, attributes his interest in food and cooking to his mother who, after noticing his natural affinity for kitchen tasks, encouraged him to pursue culinary arts at Kolej Damansara Utama (KDU) in Petaling Jaya. After graduating, Choong spent a year in Alabama in the United States on an internship and student exchange programme.
“That was my first introduction to American food. I also learnt how to cook Mediterranean dishes at the resort where I was based.”
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After returning, he landed his first job at Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur. Recalling his initial three-month stint at Latest Recipe, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, Choong says: “It wasn’t very exciting but my favourite task was manning the pasta station as I could do some actual cooking. Later, I was transferred to Favola Italian restaurant where I remained for two years.”
He left the hotel after his former KDU lecturer and chef Raymond Tham of Skillet restaurant invited Choong to join his team. That stint lasted five years before he left to join forces with current business partner Long Seh Yung to set up Cloud Hawker in 2021, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Choong takes care of the food while Long looks into the marketing. — Photos: S.S.KANESAN/The Star
“Cloud Hawker specialised in food deliveries. Operating from our home kitchen, sales was OK as our menu featured dai chow (stir-fry) dishes and comfort food such as nasi lemak and Mac and Cheese.
“I was responsible for preparing the Western fare, but it was stressful as we had to cope with the ever-changing regulations during the lockdown.”
When the country transitioned into post-pandemic phase, Choong and Long decided to pivot and open Nimbus (which means cloud in Latin), a casual dining establishment.
“We envisaged Nimbus as an informal outpost from the get-go, based on the idea of going to a friend’s house for good food and wine. We wanted the food to be nicely presented, and service smooth yet cordial; a place for people to celebrate, wine and dine without breaking the bank,” says the chef.
Co-founder Long says in agreement: “Food is a form of entertainment. We wanted people to have a good multi-sensorial dining experience at Nimbus, which was conceived as a cozy, chill place.”
He adds that both partners are clear about their roles from the outset. He takes care of the financial and marketing aspects of the business, freeing Choong to focus on cooking and experimenting.
According to Choong, the Nimbus team constantly strives to improve and level up standards – be it the quality of food or service as “our team pride ourselves in getting out of our comfort zone. Some customers equate our food and service to that of a fine-dining restaurant even though Nimbus is not in that category.”
Another differentiation is Nimbus’ reasonable price point. Its four-course menu at RM388+ for two persons resonates with the young, hip crowd that constitutes the restaurant’s main customer base.
The cozy interior of Nimbus.
Nimbus follows an “online reservations only” policy which also allows the partners to control and manage operations and costs more efficiently.
“Our customers are pretty tech-savvy and have no qualms making reservations online. They usually come here for dates, birthdays or private celebrations. We rarely get walk-in customers so we’re able to plan ahead and prepare the amount of food needed.”
Since Nimbus is not confined to any particular cuisine, the chef has complete freedom to express his culinary creativity.
Citing his role as similar to that of an artist, Choong says, “After learning the key fundamentals and absorbing whatever knowledge there is to glean from a sifu (master), I can relearn things differently to push the boundaries.”
Despite his no-holds-barred cooking style, Choong mindfully restrains from getting too carried away with his culinary experimentation.
“I don’t want to affect the smooth operational flow of my kitchen.”
In his ongoing quest for new ideas and inspiration, the chef makes it a point to travel, going for food-hunting trips and eating out at new restaurants. He also keeps a keen eye on what’s trending on social media.
“Ideas can come from anywhere and at the most unexpected moment. When something strikes a chord with me, I’d instinctively know when the seed has been planted. I’d store it in my mind and later germinate the idea, revisiting it when the time is right.
Chef Choong pouring in the prawn bisque.
“I enjoy the process of replicating flavour profiles or interpreting dishes I’ve encountered. I’d refine and adapt my creations to suit our restaurant’s concept and customers’ expectations.
“As long as the dish looks and tastes good, the sky is the limit on what can be done.
“Malaysian palates are partial to stronger flavours, so I try to strike a balance between my ideas and what appeals to our clientele.”
Being a restaurateur-chef is no bed of roses though. Choong admits that it can be challenging to meet last-minute dining requests.
“Once, we had to prepare a menu for vegan diners. It isn’t as simple as merely replacing meat with vegetables. I had to deep-dive into all the details involved, from the ingredients required to the choice of oil and even kitchen utensils in our efforts to comply with veganism. Imagine our surprise and disappointment when those so-called ‘vegans’ didn’t appreciate the work we put into the vegan menu and happily shared their friends’ meat and dairy dishes instead!”
He cites Gordon Ramsay as his aspirational role model.
“I admire his culinary prowess and business acumen. Very few professional chefs are as versatile as he is, able to straddle the world of cooking and his own global restaurant empire. I hope I can be as successful as he is someday,” he concludes.
